Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E)

Now hear this3-D imaging technology could lead to hearing aids that fit — and thus function — better than current models.

Gesture-based computing on the cheapWith a single piece of inexpensive hardware — a multicolored glove — MIT researchers are making Minority Report-style interfaces more accessible.

Fly the eco-friendly skiesMIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models.

Winners of the ninth annual MIT IDEAS Competition announcedMore than $25,000 awarded to seven student teams that apply invention to improve lives

Rapid analysis of DNA damage now possibleTechnology offers a new way to test potential cancer drugs, detect effects of hazardous agents in our environment.

MIT-led clean-energy projects win ARPA-E funding$11 million in grants to Institute research awarded in DoE agency’s second round

A system that’s worth its saltNew approach to water desalination could lead to small, portable units that could be sent to disaster sites or remote locations.

Akamai Technologies' Paul Sagan on leading through adversityPresented by MIT Sloan School of Management Dean's Innovative Leader Series

Revolutionizing medicine, one chip at a timeLow-power computer chips allow engineers to design wearable and implantable devices to monitor patients.

MIT student inventor honored for transformative work in genomics and linguistics$30,000 Lemelson-
MIT prizes awarded to inventive students nationwide; four leading institutes celebrate 2010 winners

Cell-inspired electronicsBy mimicking cells, MIT researcher designs electronic circuits for ultra-low-power and biomedical applications.

New wheelchair gets its first real-world testGrad student’s device aims to meet the needs of millions of people in the developing world.

Power from motion and vibrationsForget about batteries. The ability to harness electricity from tiny vibrations could power a new generation of electronic devices.

Self-powered sensorsHarvesting electricity from small temperature differences could enable a new generation of electronic devices that don’t need batteries

Levitating magnet brings space physics to fusionTests on a machine that mimics a planet’s magnetic field show that it may offer an ‘alternative path’ to taming nuclear fusion for power generation.

New ‘nanoburrs’ could help fight heart diseaseTargeted nanoparticles can home in on damaged vascular tissue and may be used to deliver drugs that help clear arteries

Special effects leap forwardMembers of the MIT community have a history of transforming visual effects; present work is helping to advance green screen technology.

Nutrient mix shows promise in fighting Alzheimer’sIn clinical trial, new approach developed at MIT improves memory in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Personalized Energy for One (x 6 Billion)Lecture, with professor Daniel Nocera, presented by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship

How to encourage big ideasA new study suggests certain types of funding — which provide more freedom and focus less on near-term results — lead to more innovative and influential research.

Reporter’s Notebook: Emergency measuresFor drowning surfers, fallen bicyclists and injured mountaineers, students in MIT’s 2.009 class devise products that could save lives.

New computer model could lead to safer stentsStudy by HST scientists shows that location of arterial stents is critical to efficient and safe drug delivery.

Feeling the wayRobotic device developed in MIT’s Touch Lab can help visually impaired people navigate around a virtual model of a real building.

Liquid battery big enough for the electric grid?Professor Donald Sadoway’s research in energy storage could help speed the development of renewable energy.

Turning heat to electricityMIT research points to a much more efficient way of harvesting electrical power from what would otherwise be wasted heat.

One word: bioplasticsAt a new plant in Iowa, MIT-rooted technology will use bacteria to turn corn into biodegradable plastics.

Will Innovation Still be Made in America?

A new way to measure muscleMIT engineer Joel Dawson and colleagues built a handheld probe that could help doctors monitor muscle atrophy in patients with Lou Gehrig's Disease and similar ailments.